Stephan Shakespeare: Get going now, Boris

Last week ConservativeHome noted how CCHQ was concerned at "drift" in Boris Johnson's campaign.
Since when we have received numerous examples of a
stalling campaign. In his regular Monday column, Stephan Shakespeare
calls on the Tories' Mayoral candidate to demonstrate discipline and
courage now.

As a big fan of Boris, I’m getting worried. A while back I wrote that Boris could beat Livingstone and be a good Mayor, but that he needed a ‘Prince Hal Moment’ – where he rejects his bumbling comedic character just as Prince Henry rejects Falstaff to make himself fit to be King. That hasn’t happened. I’m beginning to suspect that dear old Boris thinks it’s enough to be dear old Boris.

There are two types of politician. The one who enters the arena because he or she really wants to change something, driven by a sense of injustice to fight for the people, angered by the stupidity or greed or fear in the affairs of man to order things in a better way, believing against the odds in a vision of how to make the world better - not just by gracing it with his superior grace and wisdom, but by putting everything at the service of progress.

And then there is the type of politician who is driven by mere desire for the job, by simple vanity, a self-admiring impulse to sit in the top seat, or because it’s a jolly good wheeze.

I’m hoping, and I still believe, that Boris is of the first type. London desperately needs a champion who is appalled at the waste and the organisational mess and who wants to change it because he knows that it’s the poor that pay for it with crappy lives. A champion who understands how criminally disproportionate is the slice of the tax-take from Londoners’ pockets that is exported to prop up failure in other parts of the country; who knows that the glittering success of the capital obscures the miserable lives of so many of its citizens.

Whoever wants to fight on behalf of Londoners should spend every
possible moment learning and doing; meeting people from every part and
every layer of the metropolis, arguing his case again and again
wherever anyone will listen on any available platform, building,
inspiring and leading a team that will win the campaign so he can get
on with the revolution.

I don’t think Boris has yet said anything that could interest any
Londoner. We all believe that he can and he will, but the faithful
anticipation of a tv audience will not be enough. “Boris is a man who
will stand up for the poor and downtrodden of London, who will fight
night and day to make this city secure and productive in every corner.
This is what he really cares about.” One would want to be able to say
that without irony.

Boris says we should judge him in January. But this isn’t a game of
political tactics. And it isn’t a game show where we clap at his
cleverness and style. This is a battle for the biggest directly
elected position in Britain, second in Europe after the French
Presidency. Whoever wins will be entrusted with the most profound
responsibility. Whoever aspires to this job must be willing to make
great sacrifices.

Please, Boris, don’t wait until January. Start now. You have the wit – show us you also have the discipline and the courage.

Comments

His 'back boris' mayoral website hasn't been updated in ages yet he has found time to write blog pieces on his main site about 'EU rules on jams, jellies and marmalades', and in support of Hillary Clinton in an election half the world away.

I would question how much this guy wants this. Ken is going to make mincemeat of him at this rate. Not that he proberbly cares- he has a safe seat in Henley and a job for life.

It is worth remembering that Ken's 7 year administration has had no significant political opposition.

CCHQ have left the job to the London Assembly- but they do not have any powers to oppose him, and are hamstrung by local government legislation which stipulates they can't undertake any 'political' activities using GLA resources (utterly ridiculous).

And the two elections that Norris fought counted for only a few weeks of parity.

So we must not forget that Boris is starting from a large distance back, whilst Ken is sitting pretty with his armies of press officers and a clear run on the issues for 7 years.

If Boris goes piling in now, only half informed and half armed, he will be dead before the campaign even begins.

Do we really think Londoners care about the Mayoral election now? Do they even know there is one in May? It's not as if we have to worry about raising his profile...

The only people jumping up and down about this are Tories- understandably itching to get rid of Ken. But let's not allow our frustration with Ken to put the boot into our own man.

I think the article is a little unfair on Boris and underestimates the man. Boris Johnson knows the way he wants to approach his campaign, the very fact that Boris has a more casual approach to campaigning will help him engage with more people. The race for mayor is more about being 'A Personality' than being a party functionary. Its true that Boris will be expected to come up with solutions to London's problems and, as Boris indicated on ConservativeHome, he is ready with a whole raft of ideas. People shouldn't underestimate Boris. He is a man with a plan, you can bet on it!

For once, I agree totally with Comstock. The Johnson campaign is not drifting as it does not exist at the moment.

Perhaps Teesbridge can suggest an alternative candidate to Norris who could beat Ken. Cameron tried, e.g. the Dyke fiasco, and failed miserably. Norris would be better than Boris. He would at least have an active campaign.

Irresponsible rubbish from Con Home here; you and Stephan Shakespeare should both know better.

Proper preparation prevents **** poor performance - I am happy that Boris is finding out about London in depth rather than just holding a quick Focus group and firing from the hip like Norris.

Unlike the numpty's we have often put up in by-elections, and at this contest in the past, this time there is no struggle to get our candidate known, the thrust is to make sure that his platform is secure with an in-depth knowledge of London, which he is doing.

Livingstone hasn't got a clue how to handle Boris; giving him the ability to say 'not up to the job' or 'hasn't done his homework' by pushing the Boris team into full blown campaigning and then falling flat on our face on the issues will give Livingstone the lifeline he needs.

Ken Livingstone has more liabilities than Northern Rock and like that equally as stumbling an institution; he is backed by a government that is held in public contempt.

Liability: Only Ken, the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister are publicly defending Sir Ian Blair in the face of damning evidence of complicity in a cover up and institutionalised incompetence. The reason for former police bashing, IRA loving, Ken's defence? Sir Ian is Ken's very own, pet, PC PC:

'He has made the Met a shrine to victim culture and gesture politics, turning justice on its head by giving precedence to minorities and thus fashioning his force into a weapon against the society it is supposed to be defending.'

Melanie Phillips. Daily Mail: Today.

Liability: Then we have Ken's sheer arrogance. His condemnation of the London Assembly for daring to call for his apparatchik's departure was expressed as contempt for the institution and snidey little remarks about the public being clueless as to whom exactly any of them are.

'I'm Ken Livingstone, look upon my works ye mighty and despair'.

All of this expressed in the nasally challenged whingey tones of a man whose face resembles a squished version of Jabba the Hut.

It's that sinking feeling that associations get when they select a candidate who, it turns out, doesn't want to put the work in.

The idea that him actually campaigning and talking about issues would actually undermine him says a lot about the confidence people have in his abilities to do this. But whether it's because he can't or won't do this he is not fit for purpose.

Boris Johnson's invisibility is, as Matthew Parris noted in The Times the other day: "wierd." People who want the job, like Ken Livingstone, campaign for it 24/7. People who don't, well, you have to wonder.

I think the party is entitled to expect a vigorous and sustained effort, and high visibility (why was he in hiding during the whole Ian Blair affair?), otherwise what is the point of having someone who is well known? We note that he still spends much time in Henley and on paid Torygraph articles (neither of which are places where London's floating voters can be found).

I've been invited for a meeting with him (as a council/GLA-involved person).

They certainly aren't being quiet from my perspective! They're always after local info and so on. It's still a long way to go before the election - a January kick-off will still mean a five month campaign!

London Mayor is a tough job, and Londoners expect people to give 100% to it.

Boris is not giving this impression, he might have some amazing campaign up his sleeve but IMHO he had better get into gear sharpish if he wants to be in with a chance. Anything else is failing Londoners who desperatly need rid of the dangerous clown Livingstone.

Dear old Bozzer has surely mistaken his path in life. He was a brilliant editor of the Spectator. His natural irreverence supported all manner of strong, controversial voices, which have now faded from the magazine's dulled down, newly centrist pages.

Conversely, Matthew d'Ancona would have cut a suitably sober, cautious figure as the Cameron sponsored candidate for London. Where Boris can't help sympathising with unfashionable or unpopular points of view - from sheer curiosity - Mr d'Ancona takes the broad, prudent, establishment approach to pretty much everything.

People talk of Bozzer's "colour" as though it is an advantage in politics, when we know full well that it is not. The fact is, "colour", "exuberance", "originality" have never led to the top. Were Burke or Johnson - the greatest tories of their age - granted cabinet posts or executive power? What of Pope? Or Evelyn Waugh? Was it not always the subsequent generations of careful, moderate brokers - Camerons and d'Anconas - taking as much as they required from the aforementioned luminaries, borrowing their eloquence and diluting their philosophy, who rose to positions of power?

Boris - get your old job back. We the loyal readers of the Speccie miss you; we miss Mark Steyn and the vision of Taki unrestrained. We hate the occasional presence of pinkos and lefties in its hallowed pages - take Roy Hattersley, for example. Roy Hattersley!

Mr d'Ancona can take over London. Running a city is a suitably serious business for so serious a soul.

That's not the same as actually campaigning, is it? I mean, presumably you planned on voting for the Conservative candidate in the Mayoral election anyway.

"a January kick-off will still mean a five month campaign!" Er, no, four months, actually. Livingstone is out and about now, in the news every day. Why isn't Johnson bothered? That's what we want to know.

Stephan Shakespeare “… London desperately needs a champion who … understands how criminally disproportionate is the slice of the tax-take from Londoners’ pockets that is exported to prop up failure in other parts of the country”

Crikey, another metro-centric rant from the Proprietor! Calm down Steve.

Boris is great at being Boris, but is totally out of depth as Mayoral candidate.
His last minute declaration might have been a short term gesture of loyalty to get CCO out of a pickle.

I feel that it would be better if Nick Ferrari declared his intention to stand, and for Boris to nobly not submit his nomination to avoid splitting the vote. That way we'd at least get a Conservative Mayor, and would be spared the inevitable embarrassments that would cost votes in the capital in 2008/09/10.

"Maverick Tory Boris Johnson is on course to pocket £1million this year through lucrative TV appearances and speeches."

It's not on really is it. And this isn't about Tory vs Labour either, because I don't like what Blair is getting paid for his speeches. At least he is 'retired' and isn't claiming to be an MP at the same time.

£60,000 a year is a lot of money, roughly 6 times the minimum wage and 3 times the average wage. Plus expenses. For that we should expect them to be full time devoted to their political jobs- and Boris already has two.